10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
69,223 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 Audi Q5 engine problems

engine problem

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2011 Audi Q5 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #41

Jun 102020

Q5

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Audi offered a warranty extension for intake manifold & fuel injectors in certain 2008-2011 Model Year Audi Vehicles with 2.0 TFSI Engine. Audi rejected our claim for a faulty fuel injector in our 2011 car citing that -€œvehicle does not have the extended warranty for fuel injectors and the information that was submitted was only for 2.0 TFSI Engine's with the Engine code of CBFA & CCTA. The engine in your vehicle is a 3.2 FSI with the Engine code CALB. So this warranty extension would not be applicable to your vehicle.-€ Our Audi dealership diagnosed our car with the same fuel injector issue listed by Audi in this warranty extension as well as stating that this is a very common issue with our make, model and year. Our Audi is a 2011 model, less than 120,000 miles, and less than 10 years when the malfunction indicator lamp appeared. Their letter does not stand to prove that a faulty fuel injector was not placed in our car that was built in 2011, the same year that they installed faulty fuel injectors in their 2.0 TFSI engines. Audi dealership diagnosed our car as suffering from misfire conditions that in turn cause the malfunction indicator lamp to appear. The dealership indicates that this is a common issue with Audis during our production year. This is the same issue that Audi listed in their warranty extension letter to consumers with 2.0 TFSI engines. Our car meets all the requirements in Audi-€™s warranty extension letter (2011 model, less than 120,000 miles, and less than 10 years when the malfunction indicator lamp appeared) except that our car is a 3.2 FSI vs 2.0 TFSI. Audi is not able show that they did not install a faulty fuel injector into our car. Fuel injector problems in cars with mileage under 100,000 miles and less than 10 years of age is very uncommon. This plus Audi-€™s history of installing faulty fuel injectors into cars built in our year lead us to believe that Audi also installed a faulty fuel injector into our car.

- Aliso Viejo , CA, USA

problem #40

Nov 012021

Q5

  • miles
Variable speed control problems- accelerates and decelerates irregularly.

- Palos Park, IL, USA

problem #39

Dec 232020

Q5

  • 94,250 miles
Audi Q5 94,000. I will never never buy Audi vehicle again. First started with oil leak, replaced valve cover gasket, then hood latch sensor (german genius). How in the world this bad sensor measures oil level. Rack and pinion leak, then timing cover gasket leak. Then my mechanic replaced driver side upper control arm. Now rear shock is bad. Already spent over $3000 fine, the worst issue I have is traction control light. The dealer (stealer) gave me estimate of $1700 to fix this. The last serious one on 12/23/20 while driving with 2 more passengers on busy are in houston near med.center, car engine lost power, shaking violently, then I drove very slowly at around 30 mph. This is Audi Q5 is nightmare. NHTSA please do something, make Audi settle these issues. Thank you.

- Missouri City, TX, USA

problem #38

Mar 162020

Q5 4-cyl

  • 133,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My wife and I had the vehicle services at Audi of turnersville for $8000 at the service writers suggestion. We needed a new turbo with the accessories. After that the vehicle ran fine for a couple of weeks. On the beginning of the next month the vehicle started having problems again! not starting well...and stalling during operation!

- Palmyra, NJ, USA

problem #37

Jun 012020

Q5 4-cyl

  • 75,000 miles
My car would not start and I had my car towed to fort myers Audi. After the diagnostics they said the timing chain had failed and caused a cylinder head to crack and the turbo had issues as well. They told us that Audi will cover the timing chain and only 50% of the cylinder head. The quote given for the cylinder head was $5,810 (with Audi covering $2,905). To repair the turbo charger it will cost $2,175. Looking on this website, I have seen several others having the same issue, with the same resulting problems.

- Cape Coral, FL, USA

problem #36

Feb 142020

Q5

  • 89,000 miles
I have been driving on the highway and city and it appears the steering is sometimes stiff and then soft, I have checked the power steering fluid level and its full. This is an issue because its hard to make turns as the steering wheel stiffens up. Another issue is the car consumes about 1 quart of oil every 300 miles, it was part of a lawsuit settlement but the vehicle was never repaired

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #35

Dec 052019

Q5

  • 97,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My 2011 Audi Q5 would not start one morning when trying to start the car in my garage (Dec 2019). I had it towed to the fletcher jones Audi dealership in Chicago il where I have been a loyal customer since moving here in 2014. They performed a diagnostic and identified that the timing chain tensioner had slipped, and may have caused "catastrophic" failure to my engine. They proceeded to ask for another $1,500 to diagnose the engine for the failure, and mentioned if if had failed it could be up to $10,000 to fix the problem. After a short bit of research, it turns out there is a warranty that there was a recall issued for this problem and an extended warranty. My dealership never told me this, and was just expecting me to pay out of pocket. Also, I had my car serviced there 4 different times since the recall had been announced. They never once informed me of this. I called to ask why they hadn't mentioned this warranty or this issue, and there was not a good answer. Fletcher jones also said they check my VIN every time I bring it in to see if there is anything outstanding regarding recalls etc on the car, which means they could have alerted me to this multiple times when I brought the car in prior, but they did not. They could have prevented this issue. Fast forward to now, Audi will only cover 25% of the issue, and fletcher jones is barely making an effort to help out on their end. I will be out nearly $5,000 to repair this problem, which is no fault of mine and a catastrophic failure of engineering on the part of Audi. It isn't right that Audi does not fully cover this expense. And moreover, the dealership should have a duty of care to disclose them items such that we can take the steps to prevent them. Fletcher jones did wrong by me by not disclosing this, and is likely defrauding and manipulating more clients every day they remain in operation.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #34

Dec 122019

Q5

  • 100,000 miles
Oil consumption issue while driving down the road. Under any acceleration, smoke comes out the exhaust. Uses about 1 quart of oil per 300 miles. Leak down test was done, showing leakage past piston rings. Resulting in a complete rebuild of engine costing me $5,000 plus. Vehicle has just about 100,000 miles.

- North Liberty, IA, USA

problem #33

Jul 112019

Q5

  • 63,000 miles
Timing chain issue that caused it to jump, damaging the cylinder heads and valves. As I was proceeding to stop at at a light, the front end of the car began to shake and the engine seemed off. At a full stop, the engine sputtered again and then proceeded to die. The car wouldn't start, so I could not proceed through the intersection. Audi will not cover any damage that was caused and is indicating they are not responsible for the issues with the timing chains. I've searched online and found many other lawsuits where this type of issue has been covered from Audi.

- Naperville, IL, USA

problem #32

Jul 012019

Q5

  • 64,000 miles
At about 63,000 miles my check engine light went on and I checked code and P0018 showed up. It failed emissions test subsequently for license renewal. I took in to dealership and first time they said a sensor was slightly loose and a little corrosion on. Said it was fixed and meets manuf. Specifications. Light came back on 2 days later. Just took in and they said it was the left side timing belt and $6,100 to fix. What troubles me is that there was a recall for the same year Audi but only for the 2.0. my car is apparently the only 3.2 liter having this issue. No recall? it occurred at the same moment in time, around 65,000 miles. While I was appeased slightly by them offering to fix it for parts cost..... about $3,300, and the subsequent bill was a surprising (to the good) bill of $2327.25 including the necessary oil change, I just question the fact that there is no pending recall on the Audi Q5 3.2 liter. And unfortunately still a suspicious cost. Everything was done amicably, as time was of the essence. But still feel shorted that my 3.2 doesn't fall into this recall.

- Crystal Lake, IL, USA

problem #31

Jul 032019

Q5

  • 79,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

At 79,000 miles engine needs to be replaced after timing belt and tensioner failed. This is the 2nd engine for this car. Timing belt destroyed pistons, rods and cylinders. Warning light went on, I took it to the dealer, and it fortunately exhibited the failure at the dealership.

- Woodinville, WA, USA

problem #30

Jan 012011

Q5

  • 0 miles
Car was sold without an oil dip-stick. The sequence of buttons to punch to bring up an oil-level readout rarely works. This is a safety defect.

- San Clemente, CA, USA

problem #29

Jun 112018

Q5

  • 92,000 miles
Timing chain and tensioner failed, car became completely inoperable. Stopped in the middle of a major intersection in rush hour.

- Romeoville, IL, USA

problem #28

Jun 072019

Q5

  • 77,000 miles
Upon attempting to start the engine, the timing chain slipped causing pistons to hit intake valves, wrecking engine. Only 77,000 miles on vehicle. I do not qualify for class action settlement due to filing deadlines but am facing up to $14,000 in repair costs. It is unreasonable for an engine to fail catastrophically at such a low mileage adn there to be no manufacturer liability.

- Santa Rosa, CA, USA

problem #27

Apr 162019

Q5

  • miles
Takata rcall not done

- Scottsville, VA, USA

problem #26

Jun 082019

Q5

  • 68,000 miles
Excessive oil leaking from undercarriage

- Allen, TX, USA

problem #25

Mar 012019

Q5

  • 72,000 miles
I was driving on a busy street and the car suddenly started bucking and felt like it was going to stall. Fortunately, I was able to pull over. The car would not start and had to be towed.

- Ramsey, NJ, USA

problem #24

Apr 142017

Q5

  • 109,000 miles
My Audi Q5 2011 check engine and epc light continue to light up my dash, vehicle has been diagnosed by the dealership not once not twice but more than three times. Continues to have the same and similar misfires and actually seems to be getting hotter than usual, the engine. I've seen several complaints about recalls on the coolant pump, timing chain, fuel pump flange, fuel pump, wiring sensors, epc light ball joints, and the list goes on. What has me mostly concern is the recalls for all the fuel system components. For example emission control devices like the egr fuel cap fuel gauge sender, feel injection system fuel leaks stalling and hesitation, have you been seeing one or actually a couple where a fire was initiated while people were in the car. This is a huge safety concern for me and my family who drives the car practically every day it seems that even door car is out of warranty Audi should be responsible for all these repairs and recalls and and make it right on their part. If we would've known this car was going to give us that much trouble after buying it from a certified dealer, we would've never even thought or imagined of driving a lemon. After this unfortunate experience and still ongoing one, and the way Audi really doesn't take in consideration the safety of its clientele, or its families, I will never take in consideration of buying another Audi in my life.

- Maricopa, AZ, USA

problem #23

Apr 042017

Q5

  • 109,000 miles
I am emailing this letter and hopefully someone will respond to my request of reopening my claim regarding my 2011 Audi Q5's recent and pattern like problems. Hopefully the reference number above shows my cars history and explains how it's all gotten to me addressing the problem again. Around that time was when we were having problems with the Audi service dept in chandler AZ, the fact that we were lied to by the supervisor when he stated that changing the wiring was part of the recall for the fuel pump and fuel flange, when in fact it was not. Two of the three main components for our fuel injection system have been replaced, the most important the fuel pump and the regulator, three times we took it back because they never got it right the first time. That is not including all the others things that have been changed, electrical system wiring, and major parts of the engine. Recently we took our Audi to the service dept in scottsdale AZ, for the recall of the air canister and also because it was beginning to smell like gas again and the check engine light turned on and trouble with the startup of our vehicle. Had it checkedout by a certified mechanic, which told me it was the alternator. I had just bought a brand new gel battery at autozone, didnt want the bad alternator to drain my new battery so since I knew it had been replaced before by Audi in chandler, I told the service advisor that it was bad, and if he could please check and replace. Before that I also had it rechecked at autozone and oriellys and they told me the same thing, bad alternator....hopefully you see where I'm getting at. I'm trying to be as detail as possible, so sorry for the length of this letter. To no surprise of mine the service advisor calls me back and tells me that my fuel injectors are going bad, whattt

- Maricopa, AZ, USA

problem #22

Jan 292018

Q5

  • 74,325 miles
2011 Audi Q5 coolant pump replaced due to seepage. Water pump, bolts and O ring for plastic pipe connector piece. Found during the oil consumption repairs at 74K miles.

- Falcon, CO, USA

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